tribute to Georgia O'Keeffe

To use this image as a desktop background...SAVE the image first, then open it using any image editor. Next rotate it to a horizontal position. After rotating it will fit your screen perfectly.

Don't ask me how I "painted" this picture. I do not use a recipe. These aren't "gimmicks". All of the modifications are made entirely by hand on a single-layer canvas. If there is a "trick" it's to scan the specimen in a way that lends itsself to a painterly image. Typically, the color palette should be reduced to pigment hues. In this case I created a blue background by suspending my transparency lightbox behind the blossoms, then I tinkered with the color balance and values. A "normal" scan would not been of any use to me for a project like this. The "original" scan is basically the more turquoise version on the previous page. I did have to remove a few unaesthetic details i.e. shadows and strands of lint. I will say that I used my manual blur tool an awful lot! And I use a mouse. I don't have the advantage of a tablet. Those Photoshop filter effects don't mimick any medium or technique, produce a rather cheesy result in most cases. There isn't any one-click poof! it's a charming plein air watercolor or poof! it's a Sargent portrait. But hmmmm...Warhol would've dug the digital studio!

If you compare O'Keeffe's "Apple Blossoms" you'll note that I've left more detail in my white blossoms. O'Keeffe typically used a lot of color in her white areas. I took advantage of digital "noise" in my whites- pink, violet and blue...I just blended it all together with my blur tool. The noise substitutes for brush texture. The foliage lacked interesting detail, so I exaggerated the values in levels to create it, then applied a blotchy texture with the cheesy "sponge" painting filter effect. Then more blurring. I went over every line with the blur tool to blend and soften each and every edge, occasionally applying the healing/clone tools and also the dodge/burn tools to create color depth.

I had a sudden bad cold for a few days, it was chilly; it rained three days in a row and I didn't have the energy to pursue much else. Next time you can't sleep or don't feel well I recommend working on a project such as this.



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	BACK next painting

	To use this image as a desktop background...SAVE the image first, then open it using any image editor. Next rotate it to a horizontal position. After rotating it will fit your screen perfectly.

		Don't ask me how I "painted" this picture. I do not use a recipe. These aren't "gimmicks". All of the modifications are made entirely by hand on a single-layer canvas. If there is a "trick" it's to scan the specimen in a way that lends itsself to a painterly image. Typically, the color palette should be reduced to pigment hues. In this case I created a blue background by suspending my transparency lightbox behind the blossoms, then I tinkered with the color balance and values. A "normal" scan would not been of any use to me for a project like this. The "original" scan is basically the more turquoise version on the previous page. I did have to remove a few unaesthetic details i.e. shadows and strands of lint. I will say that I used my manual blur tool an awful lot! And I use a mouse. I don't have the advantage of a tablet. Those Photoshop filter effects don't mimick any medium or technique, produce a rather cheesy result in most cases. There isn't any one-click poof! it's a charming plein air watercolor or poof! it's a Sargent portrait. But hmmmm...Warhol would've dug the digital studio! If you compare O'Keeffe's "Apple Blossoms" you'll note that I've left more detail in my white blossoms. O'Keeffe typically used a lot of color in her white areas. I took advantage of digital "noise" in my whites- pink, violet and blue...I just blended it all together with my blur tool. The noise substitutes for brush texture. The foliage lacked interesting detail, so I exaggerated the values in levels to create it, then applied a blotchy texture with the cheesy "sponge" painting filter effect. Then more blurring. I went over every line with the blur tool to blend and soften each and every edge, occasionally applying the healing/clone tools and also the dodge/burn tools to create color depth. I had a sudden bad cold for a few days, it was chilly; it rained three days in a row and I didn't have the energy to pursue much else. Next time you can't sleep or don't feel well I recommend working on a project such as this.